Sadie O'Flaherty, left, Jaidyn Delgado and Aubrey Renfroe, right, carry balls as they race across the field.
Galena’s Lady Grizzlies broke the winning streak of Oasis Academy’s girls’ lacrosse team Saturday for a 8-2 victory.
According to Oasis coach Lisa Swan, her team had a rough day and didn’t seem to be completely in the game. She recalled they were grabbing groundballs with a shoveling motion, rather than scooping it up; she said she felt they were in their own heads because of the age difference between the two teams — Galena’s team is mostly juniors and seniors, while Oasis is largely eighth-graders.
“They were there, but they didn’t show up for the game,” Swan said. “They just didn’t play as well as they normally do.”
The game did have several positives. Sadie O’Flaherty scored both of Oasis’s goals and Oasis goalie Audrey Rasmussen saved seven shots. Swan said Kate Dunkin was also a defensive powerhouse; she said Dunkin was good about communicating with her teammates and coordinating things on the field.
While it was a hard defeat for a team that was undefeated last year and won every game this season, Swan said her team is picking itself back up to try again.
“I told them we never lose; we either win or we learn something,” she said, noting this was a time they needed to learn.
As of Monday, Swan said some of the players, who were upset at the defeat, had come to her with a renewed drive to get back on the field. She said the defeat was positive since it showed the team what to strive for.
“We know now this is where we want to be,” she said.
There were also some external challenges for Oasis. Swan recalled it was a particularly cold day and not conditions her players were used to playing in. The experience gap was also a factor — Swan said the Lady Bighorns are the youngest team in the league.
The coach also recalled Galena started lacrosse six years ago, giving them more time to refine a varsity program.
The Lady Bighorns traveled yesterday for a game against Douglas. This Saturday, they play against Damonte Ranch at 10 a.m. at the Churchill County Regional Park.
Swan said she plans to work on shooting from the 12-meter arc during practices this week. She also said they would be changing some positions.
